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Monday, 6 August 2012

Money Matters: a 10 item checklist (Part II of III)

We left off last week with Part I of a
ten item financial checklist you can use as the framework for
ordering your finances. Today we'll look at:

4. Bank statements – like credit card
statements, bank statements need to be checked frequently to verify
that all of the spending contained therein is, in fact, your own. You
also want to make sure that returns are recorded as such; I once to
an item back to a store, only to find out, when my statement arrived,
that instead of having refunded the money to my account, it was
charged a second time!

5. Auto/transportation – keep a log
of your spendings on gas, repairs, and oil changes (this is also a
great way to track when you are due for a change, since you'll be
recording dates as well). If you don't own a car, keep track of your
transportation costs (cab fare, bus fare, etc).

6. Housing – if you are renting,
there shouldn't be a great deal of fluctuation in your monthly
payments. However, be aware of rent increases when you are faced with
them, and decide if the increase is so much that it makes a move
worth considering.

7. Health/Medical – while we are
fortunate to live in a place where our provincial governments fund
most of our health benefits, there will be the odd item that either
requires us to draw upon secondary insurance, or to pay out of
pocket. Dental work, vision care, and some types of physical therapy
are examples of items that are typically not covered by basic
provincial insurance. Make sure your payments for these services are
up to date, and make sure you are aware of when your benefits periods
start and end in order to make the most of use of your plans.

Be sure to check in soon for Part III,
to get the rest of your list, and to learn how to implement it as
easily as possible.